August 7, 2013

Call to Arms AAR 2/5 - Fallschirmjager vs. British Inf Tanks

2nd match up of Day 1 against the event organiser John Hutton and his borrowed horde of Churchill Infantry tanks. At FA-Heaps and with 2 Flame tanks included this was going to be a hard battle to win. The Scenario was No Retreat my favourite as it happens. Against Johns armour only flank shots would be able of getting through with exception of his M10's which were vulnerable to everything. One Platoon of FJ deployed on the table across both objectives but principally the right. AA dug in around the left hand objective and Tigers (with Stormtroop on 2+) in ambush.

The one thing I had in my favour was the Tiger ambush and the slow movement rate of Johns tanks, but it was going to be close.

Deployment - both objectives are far forward but with plenty of terrain around them to provide my troops with cover. FJ with majority of the command team PF's are hugging the right flank objective (top of picture) a few teams are on the left. AA is set up to cover both and to provide defensive fire in case of assaults - not that they can hurt a Churchill.

The enemy deploys ready to advance. Recon carriers would prove problematic later as they took away deployment options for my ambush, but they could only cover one side. At this stage as I have no Artillery on the board the British can bunch up.

Opening moves - Flame Churchills advance up the central road with recon elements leading the way. The rest of the Churchills and the supporting infantry head right looking to bypass the buildings. The M10s meanwhile, the main threat against the Tigers, have moved up into a reasonably exposed spot...

British infantry supported by Recon advance through the crops - these posed a big threat to my infantry so I began looking for places to deploy the Sniper with the intent of pinning them in place while I dealt with the tanks.

Tiger Ambush pops out behind the left flank objective and opens fire on the M10's knocking 2 out with the first salvo.

The British response is immediate and Typhoons are called in to deal to the Tigers. While the aircraft manage to range in on the tanks the FJ AA dug in nearby puts up a wall of Flak and shots down every aircraft.

The British advance has been extremely slow and the appearance of the Tigers has slowed it down still further. This has allowed the game to reach Turn 3 and the first of my reserves have appeared in the form of a platoon of FJ Assault Guns. These move up to support the Tigers but principally to cover the right flank obj and to get in position to flank any advancing British tanks.

Damn air power!!! More Typhoons are called in but once again FJ Flak shoots them out of the sky!!!

Achtung!!! British flame tanks are now in range and open up on the dug in FJ - casualties are high but the few survivors regroup and hang on grimly in new positions around the right flank obj. Meanwhile in the cornfields the advancing British infantry has been stopped by a FJ Sniper who succeeds in pinning them down for several turns. The rest of the British armour is still slowly advancing.

The Tigers and the M10s continue their duel with the Tigers stormtrooping in and out of LOS to fire on the British tanks. 3/4 are now burning

Meanwhile things havent gone well for the FJ dug in around the right flank objective. British tank and HMG fire has decimated the survivors of the flame tank attack and they have fled the battlefield leaving the objective wide open. The assault guns have no choice but to move up.

With the objective exposed British Churchills move in to take the objective. FJ Assault guns meanwhile have begun to move and shoot taking sneaky shots at the flanks of the Churchills. Others get a lucky shots through the weaker front armour of some of the Churchills and 2 are now burning. Nebelwerfers have also come on in reserve and these along with the Sniper are continuing to keep the British infantry pinned down.

More FJ reinforcements arrive - the 2nd FJ platoon has come on and spent a turn advancing into assault range of the British armour on the objective. The Assault guns have also moved up in support to contest it and to try to flank shot the British tanks.

Assault success!!! FJ succeed in pushing the Churchills back and even knock one out. The Tigers having finished off the M10s also advance up and add their fire to the that of the assualt guns. British air power is proving horribly ineffective and continues to be shot down every time it appears.

With one Churchill burning the 2nd FJ platoon - although severly weakened - opts to launch another assault on the surviving Churchills.

More burning British Armour!!! The FJ assault successfully again knocking out another British tank, but their supporting Assault guns have taken a battering and only one is left. The sole StuG has snuck around the rear of the British armour.

Burning armour everywhere - assaulting FJ have knocked out a full Platoon of Churchill tanks. They dig in around the objective with the single remaining StuG in support. The British infantry pinned down by Sniper and Rocket fire have been able to do nothing to help their armour.

For some reason the rest of the British tanks continue to hold back in the village - wary perhaps of the Tigers still lurking about. But now they begin to move up.

Before the Churchills came in the British recon carriers move up to HMG the FJ

The single surviving M10 has opted for glory and moved out for a clearer shot on the 2 Tiger Tanks - not a good idea despite the supporting Churchills and its soon burning. Another British Platoon destroyed.

At this stage the game is resting on every roll of the dice. John throws everything he has at the objective in an attempt to drive off the FJ. He has one thing in his favour the FJ Platoon which he wiped out earlier contained the FJ CIC and 2IC. If he can force a company morale check my troops will automatically break and the game will be over. More assaults go in and the FJ are steadily reduced in number but John loses more tanks and all of his Recon Carriers.

But he finally breaks my Company and secures the objective - the Tigers unfortunately were simply too few to deal with the Churchills and were destroyed. But in winning the game the British armour has taken a terrible pounding with 3-4 Platoons wiped out and others reduced in strength. A 3-4 defeat but a glorious one that I can oh so close to winning, and boy was it an enjoyable game.